It's a stunning admission from the consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, a bloke many consider the best featherweight to ever do it inside the octagon, but it's something he'll offer up unprompted.

It's well known that the 34-year-old's first love was rugby league where he was an industrious front-rower for the Warilla Gorillas, undersized everywhere but the ticker. Were he bigger, taller, faster, the NRL may have been his calling.

It's why there's some irony in the fact that when he visits NRL clubs or Blues State of Origin camps, it's the biggest stars there who are clamouring to get a photo with him.

The rise seems meteoric, but the reality's been anything but. He doesn't put it down to physical gifts, but a mentality that sets him apart, even among his peers in the top echelons of the UFC.

"I ain't no athletically gifted, special athlete," he says.

"I was a decent footballer, but if I was some crazy athlete I probably wouldn't be fighting, I'd have made it in the NRL. I am just a regular bloke from a small town, it's this mindset that's got me where I am.

"It's why I just keep getting better. There's something [mentally] that's switched on and there's a belief there. Maybe there's something wrong up here [in my head], but it works in my favour. I'm just bred different. It's all I can say."

For proof that self belief knows no bounds, you only need look at the challenge he's currently taking on. A short camp, off a broken hand, preparing to jump a weight class and fight one of the two baddest men in the division.

To go through it all on the off-chance you'll get the fight, on as late as 24 hours notice, when you're already sitting pretty at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings... it does seem off in the head.

It's looking less likely by the day. Brazilian star Charles Oliveira and Russian wrestling demon Islam Makhachev have touched down in Abu Dhabi, reportedly on weight, ahead of UFC 280 in the early hours of Sunday morning (Australian time). Still, anything can happen in MMA, and long before the octagon door opens.

Read more: Volkanovski among contenders for Illawarra Mercury People's Choice Sportsperson of the Year - FULL LIST HERE

The fact the reigning featherweight champion was willing to go through all the preparation on the slimmest of chances he'll be required to save the day has been enough for UFC supremo Dana White to all but confirm his next bout will be for that strap against the winner of Sunday's showdown.

The recently-announced UFC 284 card in Perth in February looms as the perfect date, Makhachev on Thursday welcoming the prospect of a showdown down under.

Oliveira was also interested, though his claim to want to challenge Volkanovski for his featherweight belt at 145 pounds raised eyebrows given he was stripped of his title ahead of his last bout for failing to make the lightweight limit of 155 pounds.

If a battle with either comes early, Volkanovski insists he's more than ready to make the walk to the octagon.

"No one who knows me is surprised, but everyone else is just used to people sitting and waiting and wanting shit given to them," he said.

"I've never been like that, so it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm stepping up to a challenge like this. People say 'oh, if I was you I'd do this', well you're not me.

"I'm 34 years old, why sit back and wait? Am I supposed to wait til I'm 35-36 to fight for a lightweight title. I want to do it now.

"I want a legacy, and this is the shit you need to do. If I go out there and take that title under those circumstances..."

It's not a sentence that requires finishing, but early markets show he'll be an underdog against either man. It's likely to remain so for any future meetings, but it's where he prefers to be.

"I love that doubt and that's another reason I put myself in these positions, because people are going to doubt me," he said.

"There's a lot of hype around Charles, people might say Islam's a bigger challenge because he's a big strong wrestler. People who train with me will tell you, I'm not easy to hold down and I'm not easy to submit. People definitely know that now.

"If I didn't think I was fully prepared, or prepared enough, I wouldn't be doing this. Would I be in better nick with a full camp? Maybe, but we're talking about how my camps usually are when I go out there and I make it look easy. I don't need a full perfect camp.

"There's odds there showing I'll be the underdog against both guys if it happens which I absolutely love, because my real supporters can make shitloads of money again."

It's not the first time he's taken on such a challenge. When he beat Brazilian legend Jose Aldo in Rio in 2019 he should have been next in line for a shot at the featherweight strap.

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Instead, the UFC booked a fight between then champion Max Holloway and American former lightweight king Frankie Edgar in Canada.

Volkanovski travelled to Alberta and made weight in case there were any late hiccups. He wasn't required, but it's an approach becoming rarer in the sport.

"I've always said 'earned, not given'. That's just what I stand by, that's my mindset, that's why I'm where I am," Volkanovski said.

"Too many guys want shit given to them and they whinge about it when they're not.

"Most people wouldn't put themselves in this position, period. Are they going to commit to shark tanks (training drill) with 90-kilo wrestlers, 90-kilo best-in-the-world jiu-jitsu guys.

"Are they going to put themselves in that position every day just in case they need to get in there? No. I'm the champ here showing how much more hunger and drive I have when these other guys are supposed to have this contender mentality.

"I'm the champ, I'm No. 1 pound-for-pound, there's not many other things I can tick off the list and I'm still hungrier than ever. I'm looking for challenges, I'm looking for stuff to keep me going. That's why I say I'm just built different."

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